


May the force be with you

by serendipitous_rambles



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Droid!Steve, F/M, Fluff, General!Max, Jedi!Hopper, M/M, Pilot!Lucas, Pilot!Will, Slow Burn, Smuggler!Mike, and i guess brenner is here too because i needed a villain to be darth vader, jedi!El
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-12 07:03:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12953910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipitous_rambles/pseuds/serendipitous_rambles
Summary: El has always dreamt of seeing the galaxy but simply can't leave Tatooine. But she has powers she doesn't even know she has.Yet plans have been discovered of a Death Star that could result in the deaths of millions. Along the way she meets a smuggler called Mike and some trusty resistance Pilots Will and Lucas, along with their engineering best friend Dustin (who just can't get his droid Steve to shut up).An adventure in a galaxy far far away with rebellion, hope (and a disgruntled old Jedi Hopper)Star Wars AU(Basically all the Star Wars movies into one)





	1. A long time ago in a galaxy far far away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue Star Wars theme song*

**A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...**

**THE GALAXY IS IN A TIME OF GREAT PERIL. WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW DEATH STAR UNDERWAY, THE THREAT OF THE EMPIRE HAS NEVER BEEN SO HIGH.**

**THE REBEL ALLIANCE MANAGED TO PROCURE COPIES OF THE DEATH STAR PLANS, BUT THE TRANSMISSION REACHED A DROID STUCK ON THE PLANET TATOOINE AND THE MESSAGE HAS YET TO BE PASSED ON.**

**JEDI MASTER HOPPER IS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND, FLEEING AFTER THE EMPIRE GAINED UNPRECEDENTED POWER. HE REMAINS THE LAST JEDI IN THE GALAXY, ALL OTHER KNOWN JEDI WERE KILLED BY DARTH BRENNER.**

**NO ONE KNOWS HOW THE MESSAGE WILL GET TO THE RESISTANCE...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pans down to a ship in space flying in to land on the planet of Tatooine*


	2. Only hope

El looked up at the ship entering the atmosphere. She'd never even left the planet, and had dreams of exploring the galaxy. She wiped her forehead that was sweating from the heat despite the sun setting.

She worked on a small farm, but went back home alone. 19 years... she'd been waiting 19 years for her family. They'd left her as a baby here so she'd never met them. But she knew deep down that they were out there... somewhere and maybe, just maybe, they'd come back for her.

She'd been told more times than she could count that they weren't coming back, that her family were dead. But El couldn't accept it. She had this feeling she couldn't explain that just told her she had family. She didn't know _how_ she knew, she just did.

She laid down on the warm sand outside her small hut and watched the ship land not too far from the market place. Business probably, so she shrugged it off. Ships were always landing and taking off. But it was never for her. 

The setting sun cast an orange glow over the sand. It was one of the few times she found she ever liked Tatooine. It was dull and full of shady characters, but she couldn't leave just in case. If her family were coming back, this was where they would look first.

The open desert before her was quiet, except a faint cry was heard in the distance.

She sat up and looked around, but it was just her and her small hut. She squinted her eyes and could make out the shape of some Jawas ambushing a silver droid.

Those things were always stealing innocent droids, besides, she liked ruining their fun; there was nothing else to do on this planet.

El grabbed her long stick and ran towards the Jawas, trying to scare them off.

When they saw her running at them, the little creatures bolted, leaving behind the droid.

"Thanks." The droid said, one of his arms lay a few feet from him.

El helped him up and handed him back the arm that had fallen.

"Can't stand those Jawas." She mumbled. "Are you alright?"

"Well I only have one arm, but apart from that, I'll live." The droid had a sarcastic tone.

"Well, I'll see you around. Market is that way but a droid like you should probably avoid that. And watch out for the back routes at this time of day, tusken raiders are about." She pointed in the vague direction of where she'd mentioned and then turned to leave. But the droid called after her.

"Wait! If it's alright, I'd rather stay with you."

She shook her head. "Absolutely not." 

The droid hobbled after her. "Please, those Jawas come back and I'm done for."

"That's none of my business." She continued walking.

"Please. I shouldn't be telling you this, but I have an important message that needs to get to Master Hopper." 

El stopped. "What is this message?"

"I can't tell you that."

She scoffed. "Ooh, some big shot in the resistance huh?" 

"Oh yeah. I'm really important." The droid said smuggly. El smiled. She would play along, he seemed like a nice droid.

They walked along together into town, the sky getting darker.

"I'm El by the way."

"Steve." The droid held out his good arm for her to shake.

"Steve? That's an unusual name for a droid."

He laughed. "Blame my technician Dustin." Steve suddenly realised what he'd said. "I shouldn't have told you that."

It was nice. El hadn't had much company for a while. It was lonely, but all of a sudden she had run into a goofy droid.

She took him to the outskirts of town. She didn't know any "Master Hopper" but presumed he meant Old man Hop that lived there.

They knocked on the creaky door and it opened ever so slightly. 

"Go away." Said a gruff voice.

"Old man Hop?" El asked but received a grunt as a reply.

The droid tried to push open the door. "Please, I have a message for the resistance. I've been stranded on this planet but I was instructed to give _you_ the message as well."

 The man sighed and opened the door wider, revealing himself as unshaven and wearing a brown cloak.

The hurriedly pulled them inside and closed the door. El regretted her decision to accompany the droid. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Hopper's hut was small and dark with a slowly dying fire in the corner.

"You have a message?"

"For the resistance. I received transmissions of plans for the death star. They need to get to the resistance." Steve sat down and placed his arm on the small table.

El awkwardly listened in, feeling like she shouldn't be there.

Hopper shook his head. "I retired from that fight long ago."

"You're the last Jedi. You're our only hope."

The old man looked up, as if he could feel something and turned to El. "No, there is another."

She was aware of him looking at her.

"El." He pointed a finger at her.

"I'm sorry? How do, do you know my name?"

The man sighed. "You have the force."

She needed a second to sit down. She'd literally met this man a few hours ago and he was dropping that bomb shell on her.

"I don't, how could I?" 

"Have you ever felt things, things you perhaps couldn't describe. You know things, can sense things. I can sense the force, it is strong within you."

El shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm just... having trouble processing this."

"I hate to interrupt," Steve stood up. "But time sensitive information here."

"Yes," Hopper looked away from El who was still thinking things through. "Let me see the message."

"Ah," Steve sunk back down. "Thing is, I need the technology from the resistance. At the base..."

"And you have no way of getting there?" Hopper confirmed and pulled down the hood of his cloak, running a hand through the thinning hair.

"We need a pilot.'' they both turned to look at El.

El shook her head. "No, I can't. My family, what if they come back for me?"

Hopper gave her a sad smile. "El, you know, deep in your heart that whoever you are searching for is not coming back." 

She gulped back a tear, she didn't want to admit the truth, but she knew in her heart that Hopper was right.

"I don't have a ship." She whispered. Neither accepting or declining their offer.

"I know where we can find one." Hopper stood up.

"Now?" 

"Yes, we don't have time to waste."

El didn't know how she'd ended up in this mess, but something told her she couldn't leave. This Hopper seemed to know about her, and maybe he'd know about her family...where she came from.

Reluctantly she followed along with the droid and old man. He led her to the local cantina.

Steve was forced to wait outside, no droids were allowed but he put up a fight until Hopper forced him to wait.

They scanned the bar, pushing past all sorts of strange creatures.

Something, some odd feeling - she guessed it must be something to do with this "force" Hopper told her about - pulled her towards a table in the corner. Her eyes met a young man around her age drinking alone. He had dark, almost black hair that curled wildly, it was messy and unkempt. His cheeks were freckled and El felt a weird tension in the air looking at him. He looked away after a few moments, but El found herself walking towards him.

"El?" Hopper looked at her, but she was already approaching the young man.

 "Are you a pilot?" She slammed a hand against the table and he looked back at her and then away again.

Before taking a long sip he leaned back and said, "Might be. Who wants to know?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Steve is supposed to be a little bit like c3po, r2d2 and k2so all in one maybe a hint of bb8's cuteness. Basically all my favourite droids all in one haha


	3. Stop taking my hand

Hopper approached the table with the young man and cautiously sat down opposite him. El followed suit.

"I've seen you around kid. You're a smuggler." Hopper said firmly. "We need transport and you can help us avoid any routes where there may be some imperial soldiers."

The curly haired young man shrugged, "I have a ship. Fastest in the galaxy." He leaned forward. "But why should I help you?"

"We'll pay."

The young man's ears perked up at the subject of payment. "Say...10,000?"

El looked at Hopper. "10,000? We could  _buy_  our own ship with that kind of money."

But Hopper was adamant that they needed a pilot that knew back routes and how to avoid the empire.

The young man scoffed. "Oh and I suppose you would fly it? You need me." 

El leaned forward and looked into his eyes, "I can assure you that I-"

"We'll pay you 2000 now, and an extra 15,000 when we reach Yavin."

"Yavin?" El whispered.

"That's where the rebel base is located." Hopper confirmed.

"17,000 huh? Alright, you got a deal." The young man smiled. "Names Mike, Mike Wheeler." He extended a hand to El.

"El. Just, El."

"Master Hopper."

"You're one of those Jedis, huh?" Mike shook his head, "bunch of malarkey. The force? Please."

Hopper nodded, "the ways of the force are known to but a few."

Mike rolled his eyes and stood up. "Yeah, alright." He spotted someone sat at a table nearby. "I just need to uh, take care of something. I'll be right back. It's docking bay 94."

El watched him leave. There was something about him...she couldn't quite figure out. 

Hopper stood up, "I'd better go find that blasted droid." 

El remained in her seat, transfixed on Mike. He was talking to some shady creatures. She noticed how his hand was resting casually over his blaster.

El stood up and made her way towards Mike but before she'd reached him, two gun shots went off at almost identical times. The creature Mike had been talking to fell to the ground and he turned sharply, practically bumping into her.

"Why did you-?" She began to ask but a pair of stormtroopers had suddenly entered the premises. 

Mike grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

"Hey!" The stormtroopers called, firing after them.

Instead of going to the docking bay, Mike had pulled El out the back and through the market to try and shake the Stormtroopers.

"Let go of my hand!" She shouted. "I know how to run for myself."

Mike instantly dropped her hand but carried on running, blasts only barely missing them.

"Why are they chasing us?" El asked.

"Well, I'm not exactly on best terms with the empire." Mike ducked as a blast just missed the top of his tall head. "And they probably saw you hanging around old man Hop there. And if he really is a jedi, then he's a prime target. In here." Mike grabbed her hand again and pulled her into a nearby stall behind a large piece of cloth.

They slumped down on to the floor to catch their breath.

"I didn't sign up for this." El sighed. "I thought maybe... maybe I could find my family but here I am being chased by stormtroopers."

She began to panic, but Mike grabbed her shoulders.

"Hey, look at me." His voice was strangely soft all of a sudden. As she looked into her eyes, she felt her breathing return to normal. "We're going to be ok." He grabbed his blaster and she nodded.

They listened carefully but it sounded like the troopers had passed. He turned to her, "Are you alright?" He smiled. It was the kind of smile that felt so genuine and El knew it probably made most girls weak at the knees. But not her. Ok, maybe it did have a little affect on her...She found herself smiling back at him and nodded. She was slightly taken aback by his concern. No one had ever really asked how she felt or if she was ok, but this stranger had done it within a matter of minutes of meeting her.

Hesitantly, they moved from behind the stall. "Hopper and Steve." El suddenly remembered. 

"If they're smart, they've gone on to the Falcon." Mike said but didn't look at her, he had his blaster held up as they walked.

"The Falcon?"

"Yeah, my ship the Millennium Falcon. Fastest in the galaxy. Made the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs."

She rolled her eyes at his boast but he didn't seem to notice.

 They were almost back at the docking bay when they were spotted once more. Mike again grabbed El's hand, forgetting her earlier statement of not needing it.

"Would you stop taking my hand?" She screamed but found herself holding on to it for dear life as they ran.

At the docking bay, Hopper was in the midst of a petty argument with Steve. 

"Go, go!" Mike shouted to them and it took a few seconds before Hopper and Steve noticed the stormtrooper blasts following Mike and El as they ran. Mike hurriedly ushered everyone into the Falcon.

He quickly made his way to the front pilot seat. Stormtroopers continued to attack and he knew it would only be a matter of moments before they called for back up in the form of tie fighters.

"El, I need you to man the defence." Mike called back to her as he prepared the engine to take off. "How good is your aim?"

"I don't, I don't know." But she ran to the gun positioned at the back of the ship and placed the communicators over her ears.

"El? Can you hear me?" Mike called into the system. 

She nodded but then remembered he couldn't see her. "Yes."

"Ok, it's just as I feared." Mike looked up and saw the arrival of the tie fighters. "We're gonna have to shoot our way out."

He turned back to the rest of the ship where Hopper and Steve were still bickering. "Hold on tight you two."

The ship took off but wobbled as it was caught under fire from the imperial tie fighters.

El activated the gun and managed to shoot down one of the fighters as they took off.

"Nice aim!" Mike grinned, slightly surprised. 

The millennium falcon weaved in and out, trying to avoid the tie fighters behind them. El continued to shoot back, and managed to take down another one. 

Mike was a skilled pilot despite barely being 20 years old.  Years of evading the Imperial ships had given him good practice and knew how they flew. The final tie fighter was hot on their trails, but Mike flew into a nearby cavern, with tight turns. The Falcon shouldn't have been able to fit, but somehow it did.

He made a final tight turn and the ship behind swerved crashing into one of the stone walls.

Mike smuggly smiled to himself as he left the cavern and exited the atmosphere of Tatooine.

He put the ship on autopilot and ran back to El who met him the the cockpit.

"That was amazing." They both said at the same time, circling around each other.

"Your aim was unbelievable!" 

"Where did you learn to fly like that?!"

Hopper coughed and the two pulled their gaze away from each other.

Mike awkwardly looked away from El. "I should uh, should make the jump to hyperspace." He pointed back towards the dashboard.

El nodded and went to sit with Hopper and Steve who had begun to play a weird game with holograms on the table.

There was a question that was bugging El. Hopper knew she had the force, but what was she supposed to do with that information.

"About, about the force..." She hesitantly asked Hopper.

 He sighed. "I knew this day was coming."

"What, what day? What do you mean?"

"I know your family." Hopper couldn't meet her eyes. 

"My family?" That was all El had ever wanted in her life. To know her true family.

"But...but they were killed."

It was like a knife in her gut. Killed. Before she could even meet them.

"Killed?"

"By a man, well he's more machine than man these days, called Brenner."

El felt anger course through her. "Brenner?"

"You are a jedi, like your mother before you. See...Jedi aren't supposed to marry or have children...but your mother did. But she deserted and decided to live on Tatooine so she could have you." Hopper gave her a sad smile.

"But, but when things started to get bad she came back. It was my fault, I called her back to help us. And they...they were all killed. I couldn't save them. I'm sorry. I was, was the only one who could escape."

 "I'm going to kill him." El said through gritted teeth. 

Hopper rested a hand over hers. "No, you can't let anger take control. That's a one way ticket to the dark side."

El pulled withdrew from Hopper. "So I'm supposed to just sit by and let him get away with murdering my family?"

Hopper tried to get her to calm down. "No, but we can't change the past. I can teach you to control your feelings. Become one with the force. I believe her lightsaber still resides at the base..."

The droid had been silent for  a while, but he finally spoke again. "This why we need you. The rebel alliance needs you. You can help us. If we let them get away, who knows how many countless, innocent victims will be lost?"

El let it all sink in. She has nothing for her now on Tatooine so what does she have to lose by joining this fight.

"We're about to leave hyperspace," Mike poked his curly head around the corner. He noticed the intense atmosphere surrounding El and Hopper but decided it wasn't his place to comment. "So uh... buckle up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Han Solo is my favourite character in the originals and Finn is my favourite in the new trilogy. Mike is also one of my favourites from stranger things so I thought I'd just combine them all into one character haha.


	4. Many bothans died to bring us this information

"We're gonna have to fly low so they don't pick us up on the radar system and try to shoot us out the sky."

"We're making our landing approach at light speed?" El looked at him incredulously.

Mike simply shrugged and laughed lightly. "Either that or we crash."

El didn't seem to convinced by his confidence. They were coming in fast and the ground was getting closer and closer. Mike somehow managed to slow the ship down enough that they landed and skidded across the forest floor. He winced.

"That's going to leave a mark."

El removed her hands from her eyes as the ship skidded to a gentle stop.

"Well," Mike breathed out. "I call that a success."

"Are you kidding me?" El shakily got out her seat.

Mike nodded and smiled brightly. "Did anyone die? No. I don't know your definition of success but to me, if no one dies, it's a success."

She found herself rolling her eyes again, but couldn't help the smile that began to tug at her lips.

Steve was the first to bustle out the Falcon, leading the way to the base.

The group shuffled through the forest, Steve and Hopper in front with Mike and El trailing behind. Hopper got bored along the way and maybe made Steve trip, but he would deny it and call the droid clumsy.

"So you have this, this force thing too?" Mike asked her as they walked along.

She hadn't expected him to speak and his voice startled her a little. "Oh, I uh, I guess...I don't know I've never thought about it. But, I suppose I've always _felt_ things. It's hard to explain."

Mike still looked at her, as if he actually wanted her to explain. She wasn't used to being given so much attention. 

"Like... when we were in the cantina. I can't describe it but there was something pulling me towards you. As if...as if I somehow knew you would help us? Sorry, it's dumb." She shook her head and looked away from him.

"No, I uh, I think it's strange. But in a good way. I never believed in all that mumbo-jumbo but maybe, maybe I should." He smiled.

"Ah, here we are." Steve called to them. They stopped outside a stone door. It didn't look like much.

Another young man around Mike's age opened the door. He removed the safety goggles from his eyes and rested them on his brown curls. They were more wild than Mike's. El guessed he was a technician by the tools hanging from his belt. His hands were smudged with oil and his forehead had a few steaks of oil as well from where he had rubbed his hands across it.

When he saw Steve he almost screamed. "You're back? You have the plans?!"

The droid nodded but showed the technician his arm that had been pulled out by the Jawas.

"Oh shit buddy." The technician examined the arm. "We gotta get you fixed." He suddenly looked at the three other people there. "Who are these guys?"

"I'm Master Hopper, the Jedi that left here a few years ago." He mumbled the last part as if he were embarrassed. "But I've returned, I want to help. And I've brought back up."

He gestured to Mike and El. She nodded shyly at the young man whereas Mike saluted casually.

"Dustin, can you let us in?" Steve was fed up.

"Fine, but we need to check these guys out first. We can't have imperial spies in our base." Dustin stepped aside as everyone entered the base.

* * *

 "I'll take you to see the princess - sorry - _General_." Dustin explained as he led them through the base. 

"Mention my name, she might go easy on you." He winked. Steve groaned.

"For the last time, she _does not_ have a thing for you."

"Oh please, have you seen the look she gave me the other day?" 

"That was because you were talking during her speech."

The two seemed to bicker like brothers, despite one of them being mechanical.

"Shut up Steve." Dustin folded his arms. "She's in there. I better go fix his arm, I'll never hear the end of it until I do."

Dustin left Hopper, El and Mike outside the General's door as Steve followed behind him. El watched as Steve jokingly poked Dustin with his broken arm.

Hopper knocked on the door and it opened. None of them knew what they were expecting. A new general had taken over since Hopper was last a member of the rebel alliance. The general was the Princess of a small planet, but it had been taken over by the empire and she was the only one able to escape thanks to the help of the rebel pilots.

She was small in stature but made up for it in her fiery attitude which matched the brightness of her hair.

"For the last time Dustin I don't want to see your- oh." She turned around and glared at the peculiar mix of people stood before her.

She was trying to figure them out when her eyes landed on Hopper.

"You're not...are you?" She stepped forward and smiled. "Jedi Master Hopper."

"Princess." He bowed to her but she waved it away with her hand.

"Please, it's not who I am anymore." She said and he stood up straight. "What made you return. Last I heard you fled after the clone wars and no one's heard from you since. We thought... though maybe you'd been killed too."

He nodded his head solemnly. "I was the last to survive." Hopper turned his gaze towards El. "But we have a new hope. Another jedi, I plan to train to help us win this fight."

El was aware of everyone's eyes on her and she raised a hand slightly in greeting. "I'm El."

The general smiled. "I'm Max."

"Aren't you a little short for a general?" Mike scoffed, towering over her.

"Aren't you a little arrogant for a pilot?" Max fought back, living up to her reputation. "That is your purpose I presume? To escort them."

Mike clenched his jaw. "Hey, I'm nobody's chauffeur. I do what I want."

El reached out a hand and held his arm back. He immediately reacted to her touch, stepping back from Max.

 "This isn't why we are here." Hopper took control of the situation. "We're here because of the plans for the death star. But you will need the help of the jedis if we're going to bring the dark side down. We must restore balance in the galaxy if we ever want peace."

Max looked like she was contemplating something and sighed. "How long will it take?"

"How long will what take?" Hopper tilted his head.

"To train her," Max gestured towards El. "We don't have long. The empire grows stronger everyday. We're almost always under the threat of attack. Our rebels on Alderaan are fighting as we speak. In fact, they were the ones who received those plans and are due back any minute."

Hopper closed his eyes and released a shaky breath. "I'm afraid the news hasn't reached you yet."

Max's eyes grew wide with fear.

"Alderaan was...was destroyed. Earlier, I felt a great disturbance in the Force. It was as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced." Hopper spoke just above a whisper.

El had felt that too. She didn't know how she knew. But earlier she had felt a peculiar feeling of uneasiness, a faint feeling of terror. She hadn't really known what the cause was, but something told her it was what Hopper had spoken about.

"You mean...? Our rebels..." Max closed a hand over her face and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was no light behind them. "I'm calling a meeting of everyone on the base, I think you should join."

Mike exchanged a glance with El and followed her out the room.

* * *

The meeting room was packed, all types of members of the rebel alliance had come together. 

"It is with deepest sympathy that I inform you all of our mission. Whilst we managed to procure the plans, it was at a great cost to our forces. Many bothans died to bring us this information." She bowed her head and the others followed suit, taking a minute of silence to honour their fallen comrades. El, Mike and Hopper watched from the back but were suddenly pushed out the way by Dustin, the technician.

"General!" he shouted and Max looked up, anger written across her face.

"Dustin, now is really not the time!"

"But they're back!" 

Max looked around in confusion, making eye contact with Hopper who moments before had told her they had died.

Everyone bustled out the room into the hanger where a few ships had arrived back, El and Mike following. The pilots who were fighting in the atmosphere above Alderaan had managed to return safely, but their hearts were still heavy with the burden of witnessing the planet's destruction.

Pilots in bright orange suits jumped out of their ships, seeing who had made it back safe. El noticed the shortest pilot had run full speed at another pilot, practically jumping into his arms. She watched as they held each other's embrace for what felt like hours, yet it was only a few short seconds. She could hear them comforting each other, smiling softly at the other. El longed for that kind of attention, someone who was concerned for her, was scared for her. Someone who wouldn't give up on her.

 Dustin had run past El and wrapped his arms around the two pilots. 

"Lucas! Will!" He clapped them both on the back. "You have no idea how glad I am you're both lousy pilots."

"Hey!" The taller one - Lucas playfully punched him. 

The smaller one must have been Will. He gave the two other boys a sad smile. "I just can't believe the empire would do that."

"I can." Mike interrupted the scene of boys reuniting. They turned to look at the smug stranger as he walked over to them. El hesitantly followed after.

"Who's this?" Lucas squinted his eyes.

"Mike."  He didn't offer his hand, but rather shoved them in his pockets. "I've been out running the empire for practically my whole life. I know how they work."

"And what is it you do?" Lucas folded his arms across his chest.

Everyone was looking between the two boys.

"I'm a smuggler."

Lucas laughed. "A smuggler? This is the resistance buddy."

"Lucas..." Will nudged him. 

 Mike rolled his eyes and there was an uncomfortable silence.

"I'm El." The boys all turned to her as if just noticing she was there. 

"Will." The smaller boy smiled and held out his hand which she shook. "I'm sorry about Lucas. He's... cautious about the resistance."

"It's understandable." El smiled back.

"These guys helped Steve get back. We've got the plans." Dustin grinned.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Lucas grabbed Will's hand and pulled him along. "We need to see these plans. Where's that robot?"

"Droid." Dustin corrected but was already showing them the way. "Mike? El? You coming?"

El nodded and looked at Mike. He glared at Lucas but noticed how El was looking up at him. He nodded and begrudgingly joined the others.

 

* * *

 "Does my arm look ok?"

"Steve for the last time I fixed it. Don't you trust me?" Dustin walked in on Steve anxiously looking at his arm.

"How is it you managed to programme a droid so narcissistic?" Lucas leaned against Steve and he shook the pilot off.

"Its his coding that..." Dustin stopped when he realised no one really knew what he was going on about. He shook his head. "Right, the plans."

El sat down on an empty chair, suddenly feeling all to aware of how close Mike was sitting.

Dustin showed them the microchip that contained the plans. The weakness in the system.

Max and Hopper walked in, discussing the clone wars.

Dustin's grin grew wider when he saw her. "Max! I mean, General. Hey," He tried to casually lean against the wall but was a little too far away, tripping backwards. But he caught himself before he fell properly.

El winced. She could feel the second hand embarrassment and from the way Mike was chuckling beside her, she could tell she wasn't the only one.

"Henderson." She nodded, pretending not to notice his stumble. "Let's get on with it then?"

Dustin inserted the chip into the reader and the room lit up with the plans for the death star. A blue hologram told them that the weakness to the death star was the thermal exhaust point.

"So if we set an explosion here," Dustin started working through the mechanics. "We should set off a chain reaction, and the whole thing will just, kaboom." He made an explosion gesture with his hands.

"We'll need our best pilots." Max looked to Lucas and Will. "You think you can get a team together?"

"We'll try but, I don't think many are willing to go back so soon. Especially after just escaping the blast from Alderaan." Lucas stood up and faced Max.

Will looked at Mike. "You're a smuggler right?"

He looked up, not having been paying much attention. "Hm? Me? Yeah, why?"

"You're a good pilot?" Will pressed him.

Mike shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I guess."

"We need you."

Mike shook his head and laughed. "Ha, no way."

"Please, we're low on pilots."

"This isn't my fight. I'm just here to get money so I can pay off my debt to Jabba." 

El lightly touched Mike's arm and his eyes met hers. She was almost pleading with him. All at once this fight had become important to her. If she could do anything to stop the people that killed her family, then she would. El had only just met him, but she found herself relying on Mike. She'd never been one to rely on people before, but know she was almost begging for him to help. 

"You'll get your money kid." Hopper said gruffly.

Mike looked at everyone in the room. Dustin was busy reading through the plans, Will was looking at him with big eyes, and Max was nodding.

"Please?" El whispered.

Mike sighed. How had he gotten himself into this? "Alright. I'll help. I guess I don't have much to lose."

 


	5. Scruffy looking nerf herder

Mike strolled up to El wearing the bright orange pilot uniform. He struck a pose when he saw her and she burst out laughing.

"You know, I look pretty good in orange."

"It's definitely your colour." El smirked.

He was reluctant at first to join the mission, but the look in El's eyes triggered something in him. He hadn't known her long, but he couldn't deny the weird feeling he'd felt when he'd first seen her.

 He wasn't one for romance, but a part of him couldn't help thinking that maybe in some other life they had known each other. It was like they had known each other for years instead of a few hours. Mike cringed at this own thoughts, but he couldn't stop them. 

"I uh wanted to say, good luck." El whispered, somehow she had leaned forward towards him, looking up at his tall frame.

He smiled softly, something she noticed he only seemed to show her. Everyone else received his cocky, arrogant facade. But within the short time, he had felt comfortable around her, he let his guard slip.

Mike himself was leaning forward but before their lips could touch, Lucas clapped Mike on the shoulder.

The two jumped apart, suddenly aware of how they'd been leaning in to each other.

"You ready buddy?"

Mike sighed and picked up his helmet. "I guess."

Lucas nodded and ran over to where Will was busy talking with an R2 unit.

El watched as Mike cautiously approached the x-wing. He was used to flying larger ships, mainly the Falcon, but he was an experienced pilot and knew how to evade the imperial tie fighters.

She raised a hand to wave, mouthing a "good luck Mike." El was originally going to say "goodbye" but thought better of it. She couldn't think of it as a goodbye, couldn't think of it as someone else she cares about leaving her. 

Lucas looked down at Will, his heart pulsing in his chest. Everytime they went out on a mission, Lucas feared it would be the last time he saw Will. He pressed his forehead briefly against the smaller boy's forehead.

"Hey," Will murmured. "It's gonna be ok. We're gonna be ok."

Lucas nodded, but his eyes were still closed as he leaned in to Will. "I just... can't lose you."

"You're not gonna lose me."

Lucas smiled and gently placed Will's helmet over his head for him. Their eyes met but they dare not say the dreaded words of "goodbye". It was simply a "see you later."

Max watched as her pilots (and Mike) left the hanger, the X wings taking off in formation. It was in their hands now.

* * *

Max paced up and down her office. She hadn't heard back yet and had no idea if they'd managed to blow up the death star or not.

"Max," Dustin's voice interrupted her thoughts. She rolled her eyes.

Dustin was always showing her new weapons or technology he'd come up with. If she was honest...it was kind of endearing. Dustin was sweet but also arrogant. He seemed to think she had a crush on him which was absolutely ridiculous. Of course she didn't...she couldn't anyway because she had more pressing matters to deal with.

"Dustin."

He came in with his arms full of blue prints and weird parts. 

"Is this another one of your dumb inventions?"

"Yes and they're not dumb." Dustin mocked looking hurt. "I was digging around and found some old boxes and there were these old parts in there." He held up some cogs and pieces of metal. "I think I can make something really cool out of this."

She walked over and looked at all the junk. How could he be so calm at a time like this.

"You're friends are out fighting and you're here playing with toys." She picked up one of the parts and grimaced.

"I'm just trying to keep my mind off of it all. It relaxes me." He took the part back. "Something you should learn to do. Your _highness_."

"That's presumptuous of you!" She fired back, she wasn't a princess anymore and didn't like people bringing up her past.

 Dustin stepped closer, "I don't know what that means!" He shouted. He didn't care that she was supposedly royalty, he'd shout back at her. "But I'm only trying to help."

"As if I need help from some, some... scruffy looking nerf herder!" She retorted, stepping closer so she was only inches from Dustin.

"Who's scruffy looking?" He looked genuinely offended. 

Her gaze briefly landed on his lips but before she could think twice Dustin had already stepped away from her.

"Forget it." He mumbled and left, almost dragging his feet behind him.

Max sighed. She couldn't let her feelings get in the way of what was important. The rebel alliance. She was in love with an idiot, but she'd never let him know that. It would only jeopardise their mission, and that was her top priority.

* * *

El noticed Dustin leaving Max's office, his face rather red.

"Dustin?" 

He looked surprised to see her and El could've sworn she'd seen him wipe away a tear.

"I'm fine." He couldn't meet her gaze.

"Is it about Max?" El cautiously stepped towards him. She knew it was none of her business, but he was clearly hurting.

"It's nothing. She just..." He sighed. "She's so cool. And doesn't take anyone's shit, especially not mine. But all we ever do is argue and I know I can't make her fall in love with me but..."

Dustin looked up at El and almost laughed at himself. "Forget it. It's stupid. I'm, I'm gonna go see Steve." 

El watched him run away but immediately turned her head when she heard a woman scream. It was distant so she knew it wasn't Max.

She followed in the sound, hearing screams and cries. They had a strange echo to them. She continued to follow the sound until it led her to the cellar of the base. Hesitantly, she stepped down, regretting that she didn't have a weapon.

There was no one in the cellar, but the cries were still there, very faintly.

She crossed over to where there was a dusty chest, it looked old and battered. El looked around, as if she shouldn't be there. Inside the chest was a weird cylinder object. It was silver and shiny even after what El presumed was many years.

As her hand touched the object, the screams began again. El jumped back, but she was no longer in the base. She was on some space station, stormtroopers ran past as it crumbled around her.

All of a sudden it had changed to be a planet surrounded by lava and she saw...Hopper? But he was a young man fighting a man a few years older. They were shouting, the lava beginning to surround them. Their blue weapons colliding sending sparks everywhere.

 El reached out an arm towards Hopper but his image faded before her eyes. Instead, it was replaced with a man. Just like Hopper had described: more machine than man.

His sword of light was a deep blood red. The light had a strange jagged edge to it, unlike Hopper's which was blue and smooth. He was surrounded by who El guessed were the old Jedi. Their screams filled the air, El covering her ears. 

Her eyes locked on a young woman. Her eyes seemed familiar and warm. 

"Mama?" El stepped forward, but her mother couldn't see her. "Mama, WATCH OUT!" El was desperate, screaming but to no avail. 

She covered her eyes, her own screams mixing with those of the people around her. 

And just like that, she was back in the cellar. Tears were streaming down her face as she dropped the object.

"El?"

She jumped and saw Hopper, concern stretched across his face. His gaze fell to the object in El had just dropped.

"You found your mother's lightsaber?" 

El wiped her eyes, "lightsaber?"

Hopper crouched down next to her and picked it up. "A Jedi's weapon. It calls to you."

"What, what was that? What I saw?" She didn't think she wanted anything to do with it.

Hopper sighed, "I suppose I should tell you everything."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I basically stole the whole lightsaber thing from Rey in the force awakens
> 
> Lucas, Will and Mike are still trying to blow up the death star...


	6. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last Jedi was so good. I was shook the entire time, I even cried a little. It was just soooo good.

Hopper sat El down and handed her the lightsaber. She turned it over in her hands and pressed the switch. She flinched when a surge of blue light shot out the end. Quickly, she turned it back off, slightly afraid of the power.

 "It was a long time ago..." El almost jumped at Hopper's voice filling the silence. 

"What?" She rested the lightsaber down on her lap and looked at him. "What was?"

"The clone wars. I was part of the resistance. Most Jedis were, we wanted to restore balance to the force." 

"Was, was my mother...?" El needed to know about her mother.

Hopper nodded. "We were padawans together. But when the clone wars started to really begin, she left. It wasn't cowardice." He noticed El's slightly disappointed face and reassured her that her mother was far from a deserter.

"She did it to protect you. You were only a few months old."

El felt tears prick her eyes. All these years...all these years she thought she had been abandoned, that no one cared for her...but her mother did.

"It was my fault. I made her come back and fight with us. The empire was getting stronger you see."

"And she did? She fought?" 

Hopper gave her a sad smile. "She was, was one of the greatest Jedis. But...but it wasn't enough. I got into a fight with one of our fellow padawans. Brenner. But he'd turned to the dark side. I tried to stop him but..." His voice faltered.

"But I wasn't strong enough. He left me for dead. I don't know how I survived, but when I came too I tried to find my fellow jedi." Hopper closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But, but when I got there, it was too late. They'd been...been slaughtered by Brenner. Every, last, one of them."

El stood up, her hands were shaking.

"I'm sorry..." Hopper met her eyes.

It was a while before El spoke again. "You need me? The force? I'm... I'm supposed to bring balance back?" 

Hopper nodded. 

"But, I don't even know what the force is? I.."

"I can teach you." Hopper wasted no time. "The force, it surrounds every living thing. Jedis don't _own_ the force but rather harness it."

"That's why I can feel things, sense things?" 

"You are capable of so much more. To restore order and balance."

El tried to let it sink in, but she was distracted. The feeling of warmth had returned, feelings of joy...

"They're back!" Dustin burst through the door, confirming El's suspicions.

She darted out the room, desperate to see Mike leaving Hopper alone.

"Well..." He sighed, resting his hands on his hips. "She has much to learn about the ways of the force."

* * *

"Mike! You're back!" El ran up to him. He threw his helmet to the floor and wrapped his arms around her tightly. They suddenly became aware of their proximity and awkwardly let go, blushing deeply at each other. He came back, he really came back for her. No one had done that before...

"You...uh. Blew up the death star?"

"Yeah, but...but I don't think that was the end of it." Mike looked worried.

"What?"

"There was... a man. He was unlike any of the other pilots I just...I can't explain it. It was like he could sense what we were doing. I don't know how we managed to get away."

El knew exactly who he was talking about. "Brenner..." She whispered.

"Brenner?"

"He was a padawan with Hopper. They trained together. But he turned to the dark side." El explained and clenched her fist. "He killed my mother."

"Shit..." Mike whispered, running a hand through his curls. 

"We need to bring him down. The empire, everything."

"We will. I'm part of this fight now." Mike nodded. He meant it. It hadn't been his fight, but he couldn't deny how he hated the empire. And if a cute girl was asking him to join then well...he couldn't say no.

 

* * *

El was asleep in the chambers, but she heard a noise in the dark. She sat bolt upright having always been a light sleeper.

The noise was coming from outside the room, and she grabbed the gun she had been given earlier on after the celebration of the death star destruction.

Hesitantly, she stepped out into the darkness, but couldn't hear anything anymore. Sighing in relief, she turned around, but her heart dropped to her knees. 

In the corner was a dark shadow. The room was suddenly illuminated by a deep, blood red beam of light similar to the lightsaber she'd seen earlier.

Brenner...

Hopper was right, he was more machine than man. She tried to shoot but he caught the shot from the blaster, holding it in mid air between them.

He threw his arm to the side and the shot hit the nearby shelf. El dropped the blaster and looked around frantically. How had he gotten in here? Her eyes landed on her mother's lightsaber. Could she...? Brenner was closing in on her and with all her concentration, she reached out her arm. The lightsaber began to shake, she willed it with all her power.

Please... please...

It flew and landed sharply in her hand. El looked at it incredulously. Had she really just done that?!

Brenner smiled, but it was malicious. "You're strong with the force."

El gripped the saber and turned it on. "You killed my mother."

Brenner simply laughed and she screamed, swinging the lightsaber to try and hit him. But he'd brought his own lightsaber up to defend himself.

"Yes, use that anger. Use that hate. Use it to control your power." 

"No!" El screamed, she didn't want this. But he had to pay. He had to die...

She woke up in a cold sweat and breathing heavily. El looked around but there was no one there. Had it been a dream?

Hopper came running in, his long robe discarded and instead he was in a simple tunic. 

"El?"

She looked at him, hand over her chest, feeling how fast it was beating.

"I...it was so real..."

"I know. I felt it." Hopper sat at the edge of her bed. "You, you let your anger take control. It's dangerous, the dark side is calling you but you have to resist it."

"But the dream-"

"The dream was the call of the dark, wanting you to succumb and let your anger and hatred pull you in."

"I can't..." She shook her head. "I'm trying but it's too much."

Hopper sighed. He was about to speak when Mike burst in, his hair sticking up wildly in all directions.

"El! I heard you shouting. Are you alright?" He knelt at the end of her bed. 

She nodded. "I'm fine, Mike really. It was just a bad dream." 

They looked at each other for a moment until Hopper broke the silence.

"We need to go." 

"What?" Both Mike and El said in unison.

"There are too many distractions here." His gaze landed on Mike. "If you're going to become a jedi and bring back balance we can't afford distractions."

"But the resistance?" El protested.

"If you harness the force it will help them. They need the force on their side."

She looked at Mike and he nodded. "You need to do this El. We'll be alright."

She looked back at Hopper. "Let's do it."

 

* * *

 

 "The empire is still out there." Max called everyone to a meeting. "We've weakened their systems, but they are still a strong power that we need to bring down once and for all."

"How?" Lucas stood up, "What more can we do?"

 "El is leaving with Hopper to try and learn the force. When she returns we can really use her help." Mike suggested.

"Nancy." Dustin looked up from where he was fixing out some broken blaster. He removed his goggles. "In Cloud City."

Mike froze at the name. He knew her, he won the falcon off her in a bet a few years ago. She had been a smuggler like him but somehow became in charge of Cloud City. He didn't really fancy seeing her again, she still held a grudge against him. Mike  definitely didn't at that bet... honest.

 "Is that a good idea...?" Mike stood up, laughing awkwardly. "I mean, can we really trust her?"

"She has ships, information about the empire. She's our best shot." Dustin explained. "Besides, we trusted you and you're a no good smuggler."

"Hey!"

"It's true." Lucas shrugged.

"Cloud City huh?" Max thought it over. "Alright. We'll need people to remain at the base in case of attack. Lucas, you and Will ok to stay?"

"With all due respect General, I think Will and I should be with you." 

Max nodded. Some other pilots offered to stay behind.

"Mike, we need you. You've crossed paths with Nancy before?" 

Mike rolled his eyes and gave a gruff noise of agreement.

"Dustin, as much as I hate to say it, I think we'll need our technician. They may have weapons and we'll need your expertise." Max reluctantly agreed to let Dustin join. He'd been so desperate to be part of a mission. In all honesty he wasn't really needed, but she didn't want to disappoint him.

"Absolutely!" Dustin saluted and gave her a cheesy grin. "Steve can come too right?"

"I guess."

Dustin high fived his droid and returned to smuggly fix the blaster.

"That means the mission will be me, Mike, Lucas, Will, Dustin and Steve." Max announced and everyone seemed alright with this decision.

Mike stood up and left the meeting room while everyone was still talking. He needed to see El before she left.

He caught her just as she was packing the small ship to take her and Hopper away.

"El!" He waved and she jumped down from the ladder, looking back at Hopper as if for permission, to which the old man nodded.

"Mike." She wrapped her arms around him. "It won't be forever. I'll be back. Hopper says once I've learned to control my emotions and-"

"I know." Mike grabbed her hand and she looked at it, electricity passing through her hand at his touch. "Just...be safe ok?"

She smiled at him. "You came back to me, no one has ever done that before. So I'll come back to you."

"You promise?" He squeezed her hand.

"I promise." She stood on her tiptoes and slowly began leaning forward. Mike tilted his head and closed his eyes.

"El, let's go." Hopper interrupted before their lips could meet and they both pulled apart from each other.

She turned away from Mike and climbed into the ship, daring to look back only once. His face was... upset? It made her heart flutter, that someone was actually sad to see _her_  leave, not the other way around.

They'll meet again. She was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So El is leaving with Hopper to complete her jedi training.
> 
> Mike, Lucas, Will, Dustin, Max and Steve are on a mission to cloud city to enlist the help of Nancy...


	7. Would you shut up about Lando?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* this kind of parallels some stuff from The Last Jedi so if you haven't watched it yet DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER
> 
> (It doesn't give any plot points away but it sort of resembles a bit of what happens when Rey finds Luke so...read at your own risk)

Hopper took El to a secluded island, away from the distractions of Mike and the resistance. She needed to clear her mind.

The island was home to the original Jedi temple and Hopper thought it would help El focus.

He took her to the top of the mountain and she was in awe. 

"I didn't know there was this much green in the whole galaxy..." She breathed, turning around to see the green hills and the blue ocean. "Or that much water for that matter."

"Focus your mind." Hopper stood in front of her and she nodded. "Sit on this rock."

El sat on the smooth rock that was almost a little platform looking out over the ocean. She closed her eyes.

"The force moves and surrounds everything in the galaxy. It doesn't belong to the Jedi." Hopper explained. "Now, try to reach out."

She nodded and stretched out her hand. Hopper sighed...he meant reach out to the force. With her _mind_.

He plucked a blade of grass and tickled her hand with it. "Can you feel it?" He laughed.

"Yes, the force." El smiled but then realised what was happening. She opened her eyes and saw Hopper in fits of laughter. "Oh, you meant...with my mind?"

"Try again. Focus. Focus on what you can feel. The other forces of nature, the tide, the wind."

El closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel everything, the force moving around every living thing on the island. The grass, the flowers...but it got dark all of a sudden. Her mind being pulled to the darkness. Feelings of anger, hate...fear.

She screamed, the small rocks around her lifting and falling back as she opened her eyes.

Hopper took a step back. "The dark side...you didn't even try to stop yourself."

 "I didn't... I'm sorry...'' she collapsed onto the rock, breathing heavily. "I'll try again. Please."

"You have to ignore the anger." 

"I'm trying..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, but Hopper sighed and walked away.

"I think we're done for today."

* * *

"Hey! Get your feet off the dashboard!" Mike waved a hand at Dustin. "The Falcon is a respectable ship, I don't want you tracking filth in here."

Dustin looked Mike in the eye and removed his feet from the dashboard, somehow it was passive aggressive.

Steve pushed his way into the cockpit. "Oh wow, the Millennium Falcon. Made the Kessel Run in ten parsecs."

"Twelve." Mike muttered as he put the ship into light speed.

Further back in the ship, Lucas and Will were sat playing a game around the table. Max was pacing.

"I really hope this works. We need her on our side if we're going to stand any chance against the empire."

"It'll be fine." Lucas didn't even look up. "Will! No fair!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you're bad at this."

"Guys! Focus." Max rolled her eyes. "How much farther?"

"We're jumping out of light speed now." Mike didn't turn around, too busy pressing buttons and switches.

The planet was vibrant, a city full of all sorts of creatures from all corners of the galaxy.

"Do you have a plan to get in?" Dustin leaned back in his chair and Mike glared at him again.

"We'll tell them we're on official alliance business. We need them on our side, they could be good allies."

 Mike laughed and everyone turned to look at him.

"What? Is there a problem with my plan?"

"You can't just walk in and expect Nancy to say yes." 

Max put her hands on her hips. "Oh, and you have a better plan I suppose?"

"Look, take it from my smuggling days. Nancy isn't easy to persuade. She could be on the empire side. You have to be cautious. Trust me." Mike stood up and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Max gave him a sour tone.

"Let's just get this over with." Mike said and was first to leave the ship.

* * *

 

"Breathe." Hopper instructed, El closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She held up the lightsaber in front of her face.

"Let the force guide you." 

She nodded and focused on feeling the rocks Hopper was throwing at her, deflecting them with lightsaber.

 El had gotten better at controlling her feelings and focusing her mind. She would train with the lightsaber against Hopper, preparing herself for battle.

 "You're getting there." Hopper encouraged her. "We need to keep practicing."

* * *

 When Nancy heard it was Mike that had turned up she immediately made her way to meet him. They used to be really good friends, helping each other out on smuggling missions until she changed her ways and got into government in cloud city.

"I'm surprised to see you again Mike. Didn't think you'd show your face around here after cheating me of that ship." Nancy crossed her arms.

Mike shrugged. "Hey, you know you're like a sister to me."

"Please, we both know that's a lie. Besides, don't you have a bounty on your head from Jabba? Stuck in debt, like you always are." She shook her head mockingly.

"Yeah? Well I haven't been caught yet. And I have the money, I'm going to pay him back." Mike was defensive. It wasn't lying, he and the funds now thanks to Hopper. But why should he give it to that fat slug?

"What is it you want anyway?" Nancy looked around at the peculiar team of misfits, including a beat up droid.

"We need you to join the resistance." Max stepped forward. "I'm the general."

"You're that princess." Nancy shook her hand.

"That's in the past. I'm a general now." Max looked away. "We need your weapons to help us, and any spare pilots you may have that are willing to join the cause."

Nancy thought about it. "But what do I get out of this negotiation?"

"Well..." 

"Look, you owe me a deal." Mike pointed a finger at Nancy.

"Do I?" 

"Remember when we were caught on the Outer Rim? And I protected your sorry ass?"  

Nancy looked embarrassed, not daring to meet Mike's eyes. She'd always been so independent, but she had relied on Mike that one time.

"I'll see what I can do." She eventually said. "Feel free to explore while I discuss with my people."

"Thank you so much." Max smiled.

"That went better than I thought." Dustin watched Nancy walk away and Max felt a weird jealously but shook it off. There was something about Nancy that she felt didn't quite seem right...

"Will, shall we check out the ships?" Lucas eagerly took his hand. 

"Sure." They immediately ran off to look at the high tech ships.

"Well I'm starving." Dustin clutched his stomach. "I'm gonna go find some food. Anyone coming?"

Max shook her head and Mike mumbled something about not being hungry. Dustin shrugged and Steve followed him out the room.

Max was nervously pacing for what felt like hours and it was driving Mike insane. 

"Could you stop pacing?" He looked up from his lap but Max didn't say anything.

Lucas and Will returned, excited by the ships. "There are some really cool pilots." Lucas explained.

"Yeah, I think we convinced some to join the cause.'' Will grinned.

"Great." Max stopped pacing.

Just then Nancy walked back in, clearly having come to a decision at last on whether she was going to supply them with weapons.

 "To celebrate our union of Cloud City and the rebel alliance, I'm hosting a small dinner. If you'd like to be the guests of honour."

Mike squinted his eyes, hesitant to accept the offer. Nancy had never done anything like this before...

"We would be honoured." Max agreed and looked around. "Where's Dustin?"

"He's probably already stuffing his face." Lucas sighed, "can we just go?"

Nancy led the group into a small room, a dining table set up. But as they walked in, another man was already there. His limbs were all metal, except for his face. His face was scarred and wrinkled. A large wound on his face revealed a metallic patch, clearly where his fights had been a little too intense. He was more machine than man, except for his hauntingly piercing eyes.

"Brenner." Lucas' fist clenched, pulling Will to stand behind him.

Mike pulled out his blaster without hesitating, aiming to shoot at the man that had killed El's family. But the sith had used the force, knocking the weapon out of his hand.

Guards ceased them all, Mike struggling against his captors. Max tried to stamp on their feet but to no avail. Lucas and Will were pulled apart, reaching out to each other before their arms were pinned behind their backs.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted you." Mike shouted at Nancy, who was looking guilty. He was still trying to get out of the grip of the guards.

"I'm sorry, but they had offered protection to my people if I helped capture the rebels that blew up the death star." Nancy couldn't meet Mike's eyes. "It was what was best for my people. I'm sorry."

"I thought we were friends." Mike grimaced. "Friends don't lie."

She continued to look away as Mike, Max, Lucas and Will were dragged out the room by imperial forces.

* * *

 

"I can't believe they wouldn't serve us." Steve threw his hands in the air.

Dustin rolled his eyes, "People are so closed minded about droids. Just because you can't eat doesn't mean I have to be turned away too."

"Hey," Steve bumped into Dustin and they both laughed.

They heard a muffled scuffling coming from further down the corridor. It sounded like Mike...

"Let me go you bastard!"

"Steve? That's Mike!" Dustin stopped in his tracks, his heart dropped to his feet. Another voice was shouting. Max.

"Max!" Dustin patted his pockets for his blaster. "Max is in trouble!"

Steve tried to hold him back. "You can't. Dustin, please, we can't just rush in there. The odds of survival are approximately 3,720 to 1!"

Dustin shook the droid off. "Never tell me the odds."

Steve tried to run after Dustin but he was spotted by some stormtroopers. 

Steve was hit and captured by the Stormtroopers. But it was too late, by the time Dustin got to him, they had already taken Steve somewhere. Dustin was conflicted.

Did he go after the girl he loved? Or his best friend?

"I'm sorry Max." Dustin whispered and ran to find where they had taken Steve.

 

* * *

 

Max, Mike, Lucas and Will were thrown in front of Brenner. He was stood by a strange hole in the floor, heavy machinery all around.

"You're part of the resistance against me." The voice was deep and strained. 

"We will continue to fight." Max spat back. "Even if we're all killed-"

"What?!" Mike looked at her but Max ignored his outburst.

"Even if we're all killed there are people out there fighting. It'll never end until you are brought down."

"The Jedi. I killed them all." Brenner laughed. "But there is another. I can feel it."

His eyes locked on Mike's and held a hand up. "You know her."

Mike felt him invade his thoughts. He tried to keep him out but Brenner pushed, seeking to find what Mike already knew about her.

"El. Her name is El." Brenner dropped his hand, having succeeded in discovering the information in Mike's brain. A crooked smile appearing across his face

"She will join me, and when she does, the empire will be unstoppable."

"She'll never join you!" Mike shouted and earned a shove from the guard holding him.

* * *

Dustin followed the stormtroopers to the trash compactor. He could hear Steve's head complaining the entire way. They'd torn Steve apart and tossed his parts there.

"Steve?" Dustin whispered. 

"About time." Steve said. 

"Hey buddy. Where's the rest of you?" Dustin picked up the head and a lone arm. He rummaged around the spare parts until he'd found all of Steve.

"I don't have time to fix you. Max is in danger." Dustin looked around, his eyes landing on an old net.

"No, don't even think about it." Steve protested, but he didn't exactly have much choice.

"It's just until we rescue Max."

"And the others?" 

"Oh, yeah. Yeah the others too." Dustin almost forgot. He began packing Steve's parts into the net, tying it on his back. 

"This is humiliating." Steve sighed.

 Dustin gave one last look around, noticing some old blasters. He thought he would take them just in case, they probably had their weapons taken from them.

* * *

 Brenner paced up and down. 

"I'm not a stupid man. I know getting El on my side will not be easy. Freezing her in carbonite is the only way to truly transport her."

"Carbonite?" Mike raised an eyebrow.

"When I find her, I'll freeze her. Safely transport her back to empire headquarters."

"I'd like to see you try." Mike smirked. He knew El was strong. She'd never join the empire.

"You." Brenner approached Mike. "You're important to her. _She's_ important to _you_. I can sense it."

Mike recoiled.

"Bring him." Brenner summoned the guards, they clutched Mike by the shoulders and dragged him towards the machinery.

"Let go!"

"Mike!" Lucas, Will and Max all called out in unison. Powerless to help their new friend.

"I'm going to test the equipment on you. I can't afford to kill El if I want her to join me."

"Stop!"

"Let him go!"

It was useless. Mike was thrown onto the platform, Brenner using the force to hold him still.

"You won't get away with this." Mike said through gritted teeth.

"I already have." Brenner grinned and there was a mechanic creaking sound.

The platform Mike was on began to lower into the hole in the ground.

"Find El. Keep her safe." Were his last words before the carbonite froze him.

There was silence as the carbonite was raised again. Mike was frozen, an expression of pain or panic - it was hard to tell, was frozen across his face. His arms were raised slightly. The others only hoped he couldn't feel anything.

 "Dispose of them." Brenner pointed to Max, Lucas and Will before turning to leave, his black cloak flowing behind him. He didn't need them, he knew his carbonite worked and that was all he needed to go find El and freeze her for transportation.

The guards dragged the carbonite encased Mike after Brenner. They would take it to Jabba and get the bounty that was placed on his head.

There was a shot suddenly from behind, the guard holding Max slumped over. She turned to see Dustin looking smug, holding a blaster. 

 He threw one at her and she caught it, before the other guards could start shooting. They let go of Will and Lucas, aiming their weapons at Dustin.

Max took them out, Dustin looking on in awe at how cool she was. 

 "Nice timing Henderson." Max nodded.

"We need to get Mike." Dustin was about to run after the guards that had taken him. "He's one of us and we need to rescue him."

"They sent him to Jabba. But we'll need a plan." Max rubbed circles on her temples. "Lucas, Will, can you fly the falcon?"

The two boys looked at each other. "It's bigger than the other ships we fly, but it shouldn't be too much different."

"Steve, what are the effects of carbonite?" Max looked concerned.

Dustin turned around so Steve could face Max. "He should be fine. It's suspended animation so Mike shouldn't feel a thing. We can unfreeze him."

"Good." She smiled at Dustin. "Dustin's right. He's one of us now."

* * *

 

El focused on her feelings, her surroundings. Hopper watched, impressed how quickly she had managed to pick it up. El and Hopper would one day be able to take on Brenner once and for all, together as the remaining Jedi.

El suddenly opened her eyes, feeling her stomach drop.

Hopper knelt beside her. 

"What? What was it?"

"Mike." She whispered. "I, I felt him. He's in trouble. He needs me."

"It's not safe." Hopper shook his head. "You're not ready."

"Mike needs me." She remained calm, fighting the urge to let anger take over.

"El."

"I have to go to him. You don't...don't understand. I'll finish my training when I saved him." She grabbed her lightsaber and her satchel. 

"El!" Hopper shouted back, but it was too late. She'd made up her mind. She was going to rescue Mike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kind of makes Nancy look bad which I hated doing but it's only for the story. Nancy is a really great character in the show and I want to go on record as saying I have nothing against her it was just a good fit for this au for her to betray them. 
> 
> I like Nancy in the show I really do, I don't want people thinking I'm demonising her. It's literally only for this fic so I guess Nancy is a little ooc.
> 
> Also it's kind of jumpy so idk if it's a complicated chapter to follow.
> 
> It's supposed to be Mike being frozen like Han Solo. And then Dustin is carrying Steve because I thought it was cute when Chewbacca carried C3PO in similar fashion


	8. Inside Jabba's palace

"So you know the plan?" Max slipped the bounty hunter helmet they'd found in Mike's ship over her head.

"Yes, stay here while you free Mike." Dustin rolled his eyes and turned to Steve. "She doesn't trust us."

"Clearly. But to be honest I wouldn't trust you either Dustin." Steve retorted.

"Just... stay here." Max crouched down next to where Dustin was sat. She spoke softly to him, which was unusual. "Keep the ship safe." She turned around, checking Lucas and Will were preoccupied with eachother, leaned closer and whispered. "Keep _yourself_ safe."

Dustin nodded, wanting to reach out and take her hand but then though better of it. "I'll... I'll be safe. Don't you worry about me."

She looked back at him as she left the falcon, Lucas and Will in tow. He waved slowly at her, a kind of longing on his face. Max turned away, smiling to herself. He was such a dork...but she really liked him.

Max tied Lucas and Will's hands together to pretend like they were prisoners.

"Are you sure this will work?" Will raised an eyebrow when Max had finished.

"Will, it's gonna work." Lucas tried to pat him on the shoulder but his tied hands couldn't quite reach. "Two resistance Pilots? That slug is going to faint with joy. Think of the bounty he could get from turning us in."

Will shook his head. "Yeah... not really helping."

Max knocked on the door to Jabba's palace and a strange alien creature answered. "Yes?"

"I have captured two resistance Pilots, I believe Jabba could get a good price for these two." Max tried to disguise her voice, but Lucas was trying not to snigger in the back, Will nudging him to keep quiet.

The alien simply stepped aside and escorted Max through to Jabba. She had to try not to vomit at the sight. Jabba was slimy and disgustingly watching slave women dance. Max clenched her fists, hoping she could stop this disgusting creature.

Max wasn't the best at Huttese, but her training as a princess back in her old life taught her enough to communicate basically with Jabba.

"Prisoners. Awful Rebel scum." She explained when asked why she was here. The plan was for Lucas and Will to be taken to the cells where Mike was presumably being held. They had tools hidden in order to break out, all while Max would be distracting Jabba.

But the plan was short lived; guards seized Lucas and Will, but in the struggle, Max's helmet was knocked off.

She was dragged to the cells along with Lucas and Will.

"It'll work." Will mimicked Lucas' tone from earlier. "Plan went well Lucas."

"Shut up Will!" Lucas folded his arms and leaned against the wall in the cell.

"I hate to break up this lovers' quarrel, but we're trying to find Mike." Max stood up and began trying to pick the lock.

  

* * *

 

El tried to focus her thoughts on Mike, trying to find him. She didn't know  _what_ had happened to him, only that  _something_ had happened. She could feel it.

El looked in her bag and found a strange tracking device. It was showing her where Max and presumably Mike were. Hopper must have hid it in her bag and for that El was eternally grateful. The device was leading her to a strange planet, but upon landing she found the Falcon. 

Armed with her lightsaber, El cautiously entered, but it was empty. Her heart started to race, panicking where Mike could be. 

She was about to leave when she heard the faint sound of bickering. 

"Dustin?" She looked around but there was no one there.

A trap door in the ground seemed to move slightly and El could just about make out the curly hair of Dustin and the shiny face of Steve.

The door moved and the two climbed out of a hole in the Falcon. Dustin grinned to himself as El looked on, completely surprised. "Smugglers. Secret compartments everywhere."

"Right." El laughed. "Where are the others?"

"Trying to find Mike. But...I'd thought they'd be back by now." Dustin dusted himself off.

"I have to go to him. I have to find him." El grabbed the jedi robe Hopper gave her out of her bag and pulled the hood over her head. "He came back for me. _No one_ else ever did. So now I have to come back for _him_."

 "I'll help you." Dustin jumped up eagerly. He'd been desperate to be part of a proper mission. 

El shook her head. "No, you need to look after the ship."

"Why does everyone say that?" He threw his hands up in anger.

"Please..." El pleaded.

Dustin saw the desperation in her eyes. She really needed to get to Mike. "Alright." He conceded.

* * *

 

Max, Lucas and Will crept along the dungeon of Jabba's palace. 

"You'd think there'd be more security." Will looked around cautiously.

"Ssh!" Max pressed a finger to her lips. "Can you see anything that looks like carbonite?"

Lucas pointed to the large rectangle near the end of the hallway. "I'm no expert, but that looks like carbonite."

They rushed over and sure enough, Mike was trapped, frozen in the carbonite.

"How do we unfreeze him?" Max was looking around, trying to find some kind of switch. 

"There!" Will knelt down and pressed the button, standing back and waiting.

Mike fell forwards, spluttering and coughing. "I can't see. What's happening? El? El!"

"Help him up." Max gestured to Mike, Will and Lucas grabbing his arms to support him.

"Mike, it's us. It's Max, Lucas and Will. Your sight should return in a few minutes, you've been out for a few days." Max tried to reassure him.

"Where's El?" That seemed to be the only thing on his mind... El.

 "She's safe. She's with Hopper." 

Mike sighed in relief, collapsing a little against Lucas' side as they held him up.

"We need to get out of here somehow." Max looked around for something to break.

"Hey!" A guard shouted, seizing them.

* * *

 

"I don't like this one bit."

"Steve, would you shut up?" El hushed him as they approached the entrance to Jabba's palace. 

The alien opened the door and sighed, another bunch of riffraff.

"I have a gift, for Jabba." El bowed, presenting Steve. "It's a one of a kind droid." She lied. She was pretty sure she'd seen about five droids identical to Steve at the base, but what Jabba didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

She was allowed inside, dragging steve behind her.

Jabba was a grotesque sight. But he perked up at seeing the shiny droid. El had no clue what he said but at Steve's reaction she could tell it wasn't good.

A guard whispered into Jabba's ear while El was talking. He moved closer towards El and she shrunk back. The guard dragged a dazed looking Mike, along with other guards dragging Lucas, Will and Max.

Jabba spoke and steve translated. "He says, these are your friends?"

El didn't answer.

"He says you're foolish to think you could steal from him."

"I'm not stealing." El stepped closer but Jabba simply laughed.

He turned around Mike.

"Jabba, look, I have your money." Mike clearly understood Jabba.

"I'm not lying. I can't see you right now but I bet you've got a disapproving face."

"I don't... she's not..." Mike was blushing. El didn't know what he'd asked him but she found herself blushing too.

"She is? El? Are you here?" Mike called out.

"Mike!"

"Let her go. Let all my friends go. Keep me for all I care. But let her go."

Jabba laughed again, and the guards tightened their grip on Mike and the others.

El focused her mind, trying to remember the trick Hopper had taught her.

"You will let us go and will not follow after us."

Jabba faced her. Steve translated the garbled speech. "He says, what do you think you're doing?"

"You will let us go and will not follow after us." El repeated firmly.

"He says those mind tricks work on the weak minded. He is not weak minded." 

"Steve." El glared at him.

She once again focused her mind on the energy around the guards holding her friends. With a tilt of her head, the guards went flying back. Mike fell forward and Lucas and Will helped him up.

Max ran towards El. El threw Max the blaster she'd hidden under her robes.

"Thanks." She nodded and began shooting at the guards.

El gripped her lightsaber and deflected the shots from the guards. Lucas and Will urgently tried to get Mike out, Steve helping them.

"I gotta admit," Max said as she ducked from a blast, El deflecting it. "Those lightsabers are pretty good."

"I guess so." El smiled. She hadn't really had much commutation with Max, but fighting back to back with her was actually quite fun.

The guards lay around them, Jabba staring at the two girls.

"We can take him. He's defenceless." Max said but El held her back.

"That's why we shouldn't do it. If we let anger and revenge control us... we're not better than the dark side."

"Is that what Hopper taught you?"

El nodded. "Believe me, with all the pain he's caused Mike, I would have loved to get revenge on him. But it isn't right. Anyway, he's lost his servants and empire. I think this has been revenge enough."

"Fine." Max rolled her eyes. "Let's get out of here and find those boys."

 


	9. Do or do not. There is no try

Lucas and Will took control of flying the Falcon and the ship El had arrived on, Dustin was quietly talking with Max, but El was focused on Mike.

He was asleep, but El knelt down next to him, clasping his hand firmly in hers. She couldn't bring herself to leave his side.

"El?" Steve came over and rested a metallic hand on her shoulder.

"I shouldn't have gone." She whispered, not taking her eyes off Mike's sleeping face. "I left him and I almost lost him."

"You can't have known."

"No, I shouldn't have left him." She kept saying.

Steve crouched next to her. "You need to finish your training. Stop all this." 

"But...but Mike." She looked at Steve. "I can't explain it, but there's this... almost magnetic pull to him. I've only known him a short time but I've never felt like this. I can't explain it..."

"You love him." 

"I...I..." El looked back at Mike. Her heart sped up whenever she was around him. "I think so."

"Tell him. Then, you can complete your training." Steve stood up and left her there, still clutching Mike's hand.

"El, we're almost back at base." Lucas called from the front. 

"I need to return to Hopper. I just left him... he's probably disappointed in me..." She looked down and kissed Mike's forehead. "I'll come back to you. I promise."

* * *

 "You're back." Hopper turned around when he sensed El's presence on the island. She'd gotten a ship from the base and returned to Hopper.

"I needed to see him." She looked away.

"You can't let your emotions over rule you." Hopper insisted.

"Again with the emotions. I have them under control."

"You haven't." Hopper shouted. "If you did you wouldn't be wasting your time on this...boy!"

She stepped back from him, hand instinctively reaching for her lightsaber.

Hopper's eyes glanced to where her hand rested over the lightsaber. "El..." He stepped towards her, voice soft. The guilt welled up inside him. Here he was letting his own anger take control.

"We're going to end this." She whispered. "We're going to destroy Brenner. He's taken too much from me, from so many in the galaxy. I won't let it continue. But I'm going to need your help."

"The Imperial base on Endor." Hopper thought back to the meeting he'd had with Max. He hadn't told anyone about it, they weren't sure what to do yet and wanted to keep it on the down low. But now was as good a time as ever.

"We could break in." El smiled, getting excited about the idea of actually fighting Brenner.

"It's dangerous."

"But it could be our only chance." 

Hopper grimaced but then smiled back at El, shaking his head but laughing. "You don't give up do you, kid?"

El smiled back shaking her head. "Not when the galaxy is at stake."

* * *

 

"You're what?" Mike grabbed El by the shoulders. He had recovered pretty quickly from the effects of carbonite. As soon as El returned with Hopper, he was first to go find her. 

"We're going to end this once and for all. I'll fight him Mike."

"No," he shook his head. "I can't....we can't... you just got back."

El leaned forward and gently rested a hand against his cheek, he found himself leaning in to her touch. "I have to go Mike."

"I can't lose you." He whispered and her breath caught in her throat. "I can't."

"Mike..." She looked up into his eyes. "You won't lose me."

"Do you promise?" He pressed his forehead against hers and smiled.

"I promise."

Their eyes met and El knew what she had to do. She had to tell him now. In case...in case she broke her promise and didn't come back.

"Mike...I...I..." She couldn't get the words out.

"El. We need to go." Hopper interrupted. But she wasn't going to let him ruin this moment. She ignored Hopper.

"Mike." She took a deep breath and turned to him. "I, I love you."

He grinned and crashed his lips against hers, smiling into it. When they pulled apart he was still smiling, his hand still lightly stroking her cheek.

"I know." He laughed softly. "I love you too."

"El." Hopper continued to call and she nodded.

She wrapped her arms around Mike's neck. "Next time I see you, it's going to be a different world. It's going to be better." She whispered and pulled away.

"Be careful." Mike clutched her hand and she walked away, arms outstretched to each other until the very last moment.

She turned away and walked towards Hopper, not daring to look back at Mike. She didn't want to look back because it seemed so final, she wanted to have more moments with him. The next time she saw him, it wanted to be when Brenner was finally destroyed.

 "You ready?" Hopper looked at her.

"I'll try." She answered but Hopper shook his head.

"No, none of this "try" business. Do or do not. There is no "try", El." Hopper used air quotes and she rolled her eyes. 

"Yes. Then I will do it."

* * *

"Mike, would you stop pacing?" Lucas looked up from his knees.

"Lucas...she's going to fight Brenner. This is serious." Mike momentarily stopped but then continued to pace even faster. He was restless thinking about El up against Brenner.

"We can't help her. We don't have the force." Will was leaning against Lucas' shoulder. He looked tired.

"So? There must be something we can do? Max?" Mike was frantic, but she just shrugged.

"Dustin?" Mike was pleading for someone to figure out a way they could help.

"Sorry man. I don't have anything." Dustin sighed. His head suddenly pricked up. "Wait...maybe...? No, it wouldn't work....but maybe...."

"What Dustin?" Mike grabbed his shoulders. "I'll take anything."

"It's risky..."

"I don't care. If it can help El then I'm willing to risk it all."

"The base on Endor...there's a camp of Ewoks nearby. If we infiltrate them, we could cause a distraction. Get imperial guards away from El and Hopper, maybe by them some time inside the base?"

Mike grinned and hugged Dustin tight. "You're a genius!"

"Yeah, that's a no." Steve stepped forward. "You're not going to Endor."

"Steve. We have to." Mike wasn't having it.

"No, I'm trying to keep you little shits safe. So we're going to stay here and wait for them to return."

"But-"

"Do I make myself clear?"

"We can't-"

"Do I make myself _clear_?" Steve poked Mike in the chest.

Mike looked around and backed up towards a desk that had some rope on it. He never took his eyes off Steve.

"Alright," Mike grinned. "I understand..."

"What are you...?"

Mike grabbed the rope and ran at Steve, tying his arms together and bounding his feet so he couldn't move.

"I'm sorry buddy. But I have to help her." Mike grabbed Dustin by the collar and dragged him along with him, running towards the Falcon.

"Let's go." Mike called to everyone else, who looked around at each other in shock. "I said let's go!"

Max grabbed a blaster and with an apologetic look at Steve, followed Mike.

Will stood up but Lucas remained seated. Will tilted his head.

"No, I want a rest. There isn't anything we can do." Lucas shook his head.

Will stood his his hand outstretched, eyes burning a hole into Lucas' skull.

"It won't work." Lucas said. "I know what you're doing and that look won't work on me."

Will remained silent. 

"Ugh, fine." Lucas took Will's hand and allowed him to lead him to the others. "You really are my weakness."

Will smiled to himself, very smug and pleased he got his own way. Lucas was practically wrapped around his little finger.

 

 

 


	10. You underestimate my power

"We have to fly low to keep off their radar." El was trying to remain calm, but it was hard considering she was about to face the man that had killed her mother.

"I trust you." Hopper wasn't looking, he was focusing on his lightsaber. "I think it has a dent."

"What?"

"My lightsaber. It has a dent."

"Now is really not the time." El landed the ship rather roughly and they shifted forwards, Hopper accidentally pressing the switch on his lightsaber. It almost hit El.

"Ah, oops." He hid it back in the folds of his robes.

"How are you so calm about this?" She stood up.

"Easier than letting fear control me." 

El nodded and they exited the ship into the forest of Endor.

* * *

 

"Ewoks can be...jumpy things." Dustin took the lead through the forest. "They might attack."

"We'll be prepared. I'm sure we can take them down." Max gripped her blaster.

"Yes but they-" 

The trees began to russle. Mike raised his blaster to his cheek, Max held hers against her chest as Dustin ducked behind her. Lucas had some kind of slingshot type weapon and pushed Will behind him.

"Dustin?" Max looked behind her.

They were surrounded by pairs of yellow, glowing eyes.

"Ewoks..."

Everyone prepared to fire, only Dustin had encountered Ewoks so no one else knew what they were about to encounter. From what Dustin had told them, they were ruthless.

A small shape began to move through the trees, everyone taking a step back. They lowered their weapons in relief when a small teddy bear looking creature stepped forward.

Mike was almost in tears of laughter. He approached the little creature and knelt down.

"Mike, be careful." Dustin called out.

"Are you kidding? These things are adorable." Mike gestured to the ewok. "Look at their little faces."

"You're really scared of them?" Max began to laugh, Lucas and Will relaxed, joining in the laughter.

"Dustin...even I can admit these things are nothing to be afraid of." Will joked.

"You guys, you don't understand." Dustin stepped backwards.

"What? Are they going to cuddle me to death?" Mike laughed and turned back to the ewok.

"I warned you." 

From out of nowhere, dozens of ewoks emerged, sharp sticks pointed towards them all.

Mike fell backwards in surprise, scrambling to get away from the ewoks.

They were surrounded.

* * *

 There was an entrance through the back of the bunker that Hopper and El were conveniently able to pry open with the force.

 It was dark, and they used their lightsabers for light, Hopper casting a green light while El cast a blue one.

"It's awfully quiet." Hopper noted, his face basked in the green glow.

He suddenly held an arm across El and held her back. Storm troopers ran across their path.

 "Ok, we can't go this way." Hopper looked around. "Stay close."

They made their way through the bunker, sticking to the walls and down passages.

The two jedi came to a clearing in the base. Looking down they couldn't see the bottom. There was a rickety bridge across the middle.

"This was a mistake." El looked down into the steep drop. "We shouldn't have come."

"Jedi don't give up." Hopper grabbed her by the arms. "We're going to do this."

"Freeze!"

They turned around to see they were surrounded by stormtroopers, holding their blasters up. In unison, El and Hopper ignited their lightsabers.

The stormtroopers opened fire, but they deflected the shots with their lightsabers. Hopper spun and swiped the lightsaber across the middle of a stormtrooper, leaving them to fall to the floor.

Another stormtrooper was holding his blaster up, about to shoot El who had her back turned as she plunged her lightsaber into the side of another stormtrooper.

Hopper waved his hand and the blaster flew out of the stormtrooper's hand just before they shot El.

A stormtrooper then jumped him from behind and caught Hopper in a choke lock. El turned and lunged, her lightsaber just missing Hopper's side by a fraction, even singeing his robe.

The stormtrooper dropped to the floor and Hopper dusted himself off.

"Thanks." He looked at this singed robe. "That was my best robe."

"Next time I won't save your life." She laughed but was cut off by a cold feeling in her stomach.

They turned around at the same time, both knowing exactly why they felt the same way.

A man in black robes slowly walked forward, his lightsaber red and jagged.

"Brenner."

"We meet again, Hopper."

 

* * *

 

"You know, I'd hate to say I told you so," Dustin was pretty smug. "But, I told you so."

"I told you so." Mike mimicked Dustin. 

They were currently hung upside down on a stick, being carried by a band of ewoks. Somehow they'd been captured by the little creatures. Their arms and legs were tied, Mike tried to get his blaster by shaking but it wasn't any use.

"Dustin, now is not the time." Max sighed. "I still don't know how we lost to them."

"They were too cute. I couldn't fire at them." Lucas sounded embarrassed, he'd be hiding his face in his hands if they weren't tied up.

They were transported to the ewok camp, the ewoks chanting and singing around a fire.

"Dustin, I'm going to ask you a question," Mike said slowly. "And I'd like an honest answer."

"Ok...'

"Do ewoks by any chance, I don't know...uh eat meat?" He said with a false smile.

"Maybe..." Dustin winced.

"Alright and follow up question, are we about to be cooked by these furballs?"

"Perhaps."

"Absolutely fantastic." Mike said sarcastically.

"I did tell you-"

"Dustin!" Max, Lucas, Will and Mike all said in unison, Dustin shrinking back in himself.

 "So much for causing a distraction for El." Mike sighed. 

"I have an idea." Dustin said and everyone groaned. "No, it might actually work this time."

He shouted to the nearest ewok. "Look, I can show you something amazing. Do you want to see a trick?"

Max shook her head. "Dustin, they're not toddlers. You can't possibly expect that to-"

 But the ewoks began mumbling between each other. Dustin raised an eyebrow to Max. She found herself smiling despite herself.

"Unbelievable..."

 They untied Dustin, but left the others hanging. He rummaged in his pocket and showed them a random screw.

"What is he doing?" Will asked, his hair falling into his eyes from where he was hanging upside down.

Dustin held the screw in one hand, rubbed them together and opened his palms to reveal the screw was missing. The ewoks stared at him in amazement.

"Oh come on!" Mike rolled his eyes. "Seriously?"

"Mike." Max shushed him.

Dustin reached behind the nearest ewok's ear to reveal the screw, as if it had been hiding there the whole time. The little creatures lost their minds, cheering in wonderment at this trick. They gathered around Dustin and lifted him up in celebration.

"I think they think I'm some kind of god." He grinned as they celebrated him.

"This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen." Mike wasn't impressed.

"It worked. It was ridiculous, but it worked." Lucas couldn't believe it.

"Ok, well since you're somehow their leader now, how about you get them to release us?" Mike smiled sarcastically.

"Fine."

 


	11. You have a wound

"Right, so El and Hopper have gotten into the base. But there are still too many guards walking around. Hey! Watch it!" Mike rubbed his head where the ewok hit him with a stick.

"I don't think they like you." Max laughed. She had an ewok clung to her leg like a little child and the others seemed to worship Dustin. Lucas and Will were lost in a pile of ewoks. But for some reason they just didn't like Mike and still held their weapons at him.

"See the guards out here." Mike grabbed a stick off the ewok and drew a picture in the dirt. "We need to distract them away from El and Hopper. If we get inside the bunker, we can find where El is and lure the guards away to buy them even more time."

"How though? Oh thanks." Dustin was sat on a make shift throne and an ewok handed him some food. 

Mike rolled his eyes. "You're not actually royalty. You do know that?" He shook his head. "This is utterly ridiculous."

"Hey, I can't help my little trick blew their minds and now they think of me as some kind of almighty God."

"Whatever." Mike went back to his drawing in the dirt. "The entrance is here...so...? Any suggestions how to get in."

"The ewoks are like a little army." Will poked his head from behind an ewok. "They have weapons. If we get them to shoot at the guards it could work."

"They could keep the outside guards busy while we sneak inside." Lucas suggested.

Mike looked up at them. "You know, that could actually work."

"Finally taking some good advice for a change?" Lucas mocked and Mike glared.

"Hey, watch it Sinclair. We're not getting all buddy buddy now."

"Too late. Your cold, smuggler exterior has been worn down by El. We know you're secretly soft Mike." Lucas laughed.

"We're friends Mike." Will met his eyes. "You might have started this fight to help El, but now you're in it for the greater good. You've become a rebel."

"You've become everything you hate." Max grinned and Mike held his hands up in defense.

"Hey, I never said I hated the alliance."

Dustin stood up from his ewok throne. "Ok, let's stop this talk about feelings and actually set this plan off."

* * *

 Brenner slowly approached the two jedi, their lightsabers raised.

"El," Hopper pushed her behind him. "Stay back."

"No, I want to fight." She tried to resist his grip.

Brenner was too quick and pushed her back with the force, hitting a wall. El dropped her lightsaber and collapsed unconscious on the floor.

"El!" Hopper shouted but Brenner was already wielding his lightsaber, lunging towards Hopper.

Their weapons clash, both struggling against the power. Hopper drew back, away from Brenner's saber, but only just managed to escape. He leaned in, going for an attack, but Brenner easily blocked it.

"Your powers are weak, old man." Brenner laughed. He was older than Hopper, but that didn't stop the fact that since their last duel, Hopper had indeed aged. He was no longer the young padawan, fighting against his corrupt master.

"You can't win, Brenner." Their lightsabers crossed, shaking just above Hopper's face. He pushed Brenner back. "I you strike me down, I'll become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

 Brenner laughed again, forcing Hopper backwards, knocking the lightsaber out his hands. Brenner had a force grip on Hopper, keeping him frozen on the ground. He stood above Hopper, his lightsaber raised above his head. 

"You really thought you could beat me?" Brenner crouched down in front of Hopper, still holding him frozen with the force. "I'm going to enjoy destroying you. I think the victory would be even sweeter, you meeting your demise at the hands of your own lightsaber."

Brenner reached out a hand, but the lightsaber wasn't moving. He focused, but the lightsaber seemed to wobble slightly.

All of a sudden, the lightsaber was pulled in the opposite direction to Brenner, landing in the hands of the recently awake El.

"What?" Brenner looked up, El raised Hopper's lightsaber.

"You killed my mother. I'll kill you."

"No, don't... don't give in... don't give in to revenge." Hopper's voice was strained. "Don't give in to anger."

She closed her eyes, but focused on Brenner. His evil smile widening.

With an easy flick of his wrist, Brenner slashed Hopper across the chest. He slumped to the floor, but was still breathing.

"No!" El screamed.

* * *

 

Mike handed out blasters to Max, Lucas and Will.

"So we know the plan?"

"Once the ewoks lure the guards away, we sneak in, find El, lure inside guards away." Lucas didn't look up from his blaster, pretending to aim it in the distance for practice. "We got it."

"Dustin, are the ewoks ready?" Mike shoved a blaster into Dustin's chest.

"They're causing the distraction now. They should be luring the outside troopers away into the forest. That gives us just enough time to get inside."

Mike nodded. "Ok, don't waste any more time. Who knows what El is facing. We need to give her all the help we can."

They watched from behind the trees as the ewoks began firing and attacking the stormtroopers out front, luring them away into the forest. A lone guard remained, but before he knew what was happening, Mike jumped out and shot him.

"Move! Come on!" Mike shouted and waved everyone inside the bunker.

"He's not nice when he's in charge." Dustin mumbled to Max.

She shrugged. "He's worried...he, he's in love." She whispered. "It makes people do crazy things..."

Mike took lead as the crept around the bunker. They were trying to find El.

"Dustin, there's a control room there." Mike finally pointed out. "Where those two stormtroopers have just gone."

"Yeah...?"

"Can you shut down the doors? We could maybe trap the stormtroopers away from El."

Dustin shrugged. "Perhaps...but only if we can find where she is. There should be cameras, maybe we can locate her there?"

That was enough for Mike. He ran forward, Max in tow raising her own weapon. Lucas and Will took the back, checking they weren't going to be crept up on.

Mike burst into the control room with Max, taking out both the stormtroopers at the same time.

Dustin ran to the control pad, taking in the security screens. Lucas and Will were guarding the door as Max and Mike joined Dustin.

"There she is!" Mike pointed to a screen. El was face to face with Brenner. "Where's Hopper?"

"Here..." Max pointed to the slumped figure. They looked in silence, an uneasy tension between them all.

"Look!" Dustin nodded towards a screen next to the one with El. "Those stormtroopers are in the hall only a few metres from El. I can shut the doors to that room, it would trap El in there but it would prevent any Stormtroopers from entering."

"Do it." Mike didn't hesitate. "If they get in there, she'll have no chance."

"Alright." Dustin shut the doors down.

"You did it?" Mike turned to him.

"Yeah. It was easy really, just had to by pass the-"

But Dustin was cut off by Max grabbing his collar and pressing her lips to his.

"What was that for?" He grinned and she pulled away, face almost as bright as her hair.

"I don't know. Spur of the moment I guess. Realising how smart you are? I don't know. Don't... don't look into it."

"Is now really the time?" Mike looked disgusted at the display of affection.

"Uh guys..." Lucas turned around. "We have company..."

Will immediately opened fire, Lucas joining him. They ran back into the room, Mike, Max and Dustin raising their own blasters.

Stormtroopers began piling in, but they managed to shoot them down.

A voice spoke from the transmitter on the control pad. Dustin stopped shooting and answered.

"Everything's fine here." He said as another stormtrooper fell.

"What's going on there?" The voice spoke again.

"Nothing, uh, technical difficulties." Dustin scrunched his face up. This was not going well. "Uh, how are you?"

"Who is this?"

"Uh..." Dustin shot the control panel. "Boring conversation anyway. Uh Mike, we need to get out of here. Now."

Mike nodded and as the last stormtrooper fell, they made their way out the control pad. 

"It's definitely a distraction." Will laughed as they ran through the bunker. Stormtroopers continued to fire.

"We'll lure them outside, the ewoks will help finish them off." Mike gestured for everyone to follow him and they ran out of the bunker, their mission in luring away the stormtroopers a success.

 

* * *

 

El's lightsaber clashed with Brenner's. She screamed, but he kept forcing against her. He was too strong.

"You have a great power. You could do well on the dark side." Brenner grinned, swiping his lightsaber near El, she managed to jump away.

"No, I'll never join you. You killed my family." She shouted.

"Yes, use that anger." 

El tried to fight against it. She would never join the dark side.

"You have a wound. You're anger. It's festering." He said, holding the lightsaber just in front of her chest.

"No." She shook her head, fighting the tears.

"It's festering and it will grow. It will spread. The anger. The hate." He spat.

"Get out of my head." She whispered weakly. She could feel him. Invading her thoughts. Showing her images of a life of abandonment. Of pain.

"Get out of my head!" She shouted, louder this time. 

Brenner once again raised his lightsaber above his head. El closed her eyes. This was it. She'd never see Mike or anyone again. She'd let them all down.

A scream was heard and she opened an eye to see a light had impaled Brenner. He collapsed to the ground.

Hopper stood weakly, he'd taken El's lightsaber from her pocket as she used Hopper's to fight Brenner.

She looked at him in shock. Hopper had taken revenge for her.... he'd broken the jedi code...

He collapsed to the ground, El immediately running to his side.

"Why did you do that? You broke a code?"

"Because I didn't want you to carry that burden." He coughed, the tear in his robe revealed a bleeding wound.

"You're going to be ok." It wasn't a question. He had to be ok. He just had to.

"I'll always be watching you. You know that? I'll be here to guide you..." He closed his eyes.

"Hopper? Hopper! No!"

He faded away, leaving behind his Jedi robe.

"I don't understand." She looked around. 

"You must leave." She could hear his voice, but couldn't see him.

Wiping her eyes, she grabbed her lightsaber and ran from the room. Out the bunker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stole the dialogue of Obi wan Vs Darth Vader for Hopper and Brenner's fight and then the dialogue of when Kali makes El see Brenner because it fits really well and Kali trying to get El to use anger and hatred is basically what the sith do so....


	12. A new hope

"El? El!" Mike shouted, he saw her running towards him from out the bunker. The others were boarding the Falcon, and Mike ran down the boarding ramp to her.

"Mike!" She jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He stumbled backwards but caught her.

"Are you ok?" She asked him but he laughed.

"Am I ok? What about  _you?_ You defeated Brenner."

She buried her head against his shoulder. "Hopper...He sacrificed himself for me. I couldn't do it Mike. I couldn't kill him so Hopper did...but he died too. I lost him..."

"Hey," Mike brushed her cheek but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Look at me..." He said softly, pressing his forehead to hers. "It's gonna be ok. He's proud of you. Proud you'll be able to finally overcome the empire."

She looked up at him. It all seemed like some kind of whirlwind. An unknown force pulled El towards him in that bar, a mere matter of weeks ago. But somehow she had fallen so fast, as if in some other life they were always destined to be together. It made her feel silly thinking about it like that. But she couldn't explain it any other way. 

She thought she'd be stuck alone on Tatooine forever, her family gone, never coming back. But here he was, the boy who had come back to her, the boy who wouldn't leave her. She'd discovered a power, it had awoken within her and there was no putting it to sleep. But she would use the power for good. For Hopper. For Mike. For the galaxy. 

El caught a glimpse of something over Mike's shoulder. A figure with a blue glow appeared. Her heart stopped. Hopper.

He smiled at her and she nodded back. Hopper raised a ghostly hand and waved. "He's right. I am proud. You'll do well, Jedi El."

She watched as he faded into nothing. But there was a feeling of calmness, of peace. She no longer felt sad, it was as if Hopper had come to acceptance with his death, and that feeling spread to her. Somehow, she knew he never would truly leave her. He would be there in times of need. It was a comfort.

So, when she looked back into Mike's eyes, she felt all the warmth and comfort he was trying to give to her. Mike's smile was reassuring. It felt like home.

"I love you Mike." And before he got a chance to answer she had crashed her lips to his again. 

* * *

The entire Rebel base crammed into a small room. It was decorated with garlands and ribbons, music was playing and everyone was dressed in their finest clothes.

Max stood in front of everyone, handing out medals to Lucas, Will, Dustin and Mike. When it was El's turn, Max pulled her in for a hug instead of the traditional handshake.

"You've helped us so much. You can't imagine how grateful we truly are." She said, and El hugged her back tighter. They had become fast friends, it was nice to have some girl company when almost constantly surrounded by the boys as great as they were.

After the ceremony, there was a huge celebration. Fireworks, dancing, music, and to Dustin's delight food. 

Mike grabbed El's hand when the music changed, looking around at how other couples had begun to dance. Will had pulled Lucas up to the dancefloor, despite his protests and they were laughing as they spun around each other. Max and Dustin were quietly talking, swaying lightly to the music.

"Do you want to dance?" He asked.

El looked around. She'd never lived a life where dancing would ever come in handy. She'd never learnt how to dance.

"I...I don't know how..." She felt embarrassed. 

But Mike didn't miss a beat. He smiled and gently led her to the dance floor. "It's ok. I don't know either. Maybe we can learn together."

The rest of the night was spent dancing, celebrating the fall of the empire. It meant freedom across the galaxy. Balance was restored to the force, but it was only a matter of time before darkness fell again.

But for now, it was a time of peace. A time for a new hope.

 

 


End file.
